Kiyono Ichiki
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kiyonao Ichiki | |
|---|---|
| October 16, 1892 - August 21, 1942 | |
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| Place of birth | Shizuoka prefecture, Japan |
| Place of death | Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands |
| Allegiance | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Years of service | 1916-1942 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Marco Polo Bridge incident Guadalcanal campaign Battle of the Tenaru |
Kiyonao Ichiki (一木清直, いちききよなお, October 16, 1892-August 21, 1942) was a Japanese Imperial Army officer who commanded Japanese forces during the Pacific War and was killed at the Battle of the Tenaru during the Guadalcanal campaign.
Born in Shizuoka prefecture, Ichiki graduated from the Japanese Military Academy in 1916. He subsequently served two tours as an instructor at the Imperial Army's Infantry School in Chiba.[1] Promoted to major in 1934, he was assigned to the China Garrison Army as a battalion commander of the 1st Infantry Regiment in 1936. He was involved in the fighting near Wanping, following the Marco Polo Bridge incident near Peking (Beijing) on July 7-8, 1937.[2]
An instructor in specialized training schools from 1938 until 1940, Ichiki was promoted to colonel the following year. He was placed in command of the 28th Infantry Regiment, consisting of 2,000 troops, which was the force assigned to assault and occupy Midway island in June, 1942 before the resulting naval battle forced a premature end to the operation.
In August, 1942 Ichiki was assigned to take a portion of his regiment and assault and defeat Allied forces that had just landed on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands as part of the Allied Guadalcanal campaign. On August 18, six Japanese destroyers carried Ichiki and 916 of his troops from Truk and landed them at Taivu Point on Guadalcanal. From there, Ichiki advanced with his troops and conducted a nighttime frontal assault against United States (U.S.) Marine positions on the banks of Alligator Creek in the early morning of August 21, 1942 in the Battle of the Tenaru. In the battle, Ichiki's force was defeated with heavy losses, with all but 128 of his 916 troops being killed, including Ichiki. Accounts differ as to how Ichiki died. At least one account claims that Ichiki was killed in action during the battle. Other accounts state that Ichiki committed ritual suicide, called seppuku, due to the humiliation of his defeat in the battle.
[edit] References
- Crowley, James. "A Reconsideration of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident," Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. XXII, No. 3 (May 1963).
- Frank, Richard (1990). Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-58875-4.
- Harries, Meirion; Susie Harries (1994). Soldiers of the Sun : The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-75303-6.
- Smith, Michael T. (2000). Bloody Ridge: The Battle That Saved Guadalcanal. New York: Pocket. ISBN 0-7434-6321-8.
- Hough, Frank O., Verle E. Ludwig, and Henry Shaw. from Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal. History of the U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II, Vol. I. Washington, D.C., 1958.
